What to do when your 5 Digit Electronic Signature gets rejected by the IRS?
I've been getting my taxes done at Jackson Hewitt for the last three years, always paid someone to handle everything. This year I thought I'd save some money and just do it myself through H&R Block online. Everything was going great until today when I got that dreaded email saying my federal return was rejected. Awesome timing, right? When I checked the reason, apparently the 5 digit electronic signature I entered from my 2020 return doesn't match what the IRS has on file. The problem is, I honestly don't remember creating any 5 digit signature back in 2020, and if I did, I'm pretty sure I used the number I always use for stuff like this. I'm completely stuck now. Is there a way to reset these 5 digits somehow? Should I just give up and go back to Jackson Hewitt to have a professional sort this out? Has anyone dealt with this electronic signature rejection before? I was so close to being done with my taxes and now I'm back to square one.
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QuantumQuasar
The 5-digit electronic signature is actually your AGI (Adjusted Gross Income) from your previous year's tax return. The IRS uses this as a verification method to make sure it's really you filing the return. Since Jackson Hewitt prepared your taxes last year, you'll need to reference your 2022 tax return to find your AGI. It's on line 11 of your Form 1040. If you don't have a copy, you can contact Jackson Hewitt and ask them for it, or you can get a tax transcript from the IRS website that shows your AGI. If your AGI was $0 or negative, you should enter 0 as your electronic signature. If you can't find your AGI from last year, you can request a tax transcript at irs.gov/transcript which will show this information.
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Keisha Jackson
•Is this always the case? I had the same issue but I used TurboTax last year and they asked for a PIN I created, not my AGI. I'm confused because the error message definitely said something about a 5-digit signature.
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QuantumQuasar
•There are actually two different verification methods the IRS uses. The AGI method is the default if you haven't set up a Self-Select PIN in the past. Some tax software may have helped you create a 5-digit Self-Select PIN for electronic filing. This is different from your AGI but serves the same verification purpose. If you set up a PIN previously through Jackson Hewitt, you'll need to use that same PIN this year. If you really can't remember your PIN and using your AGI doesn't work, you can file a paper return instead. Electronic rejection doesn't mean there's anything wrong with your tax information - it's just an identity verification issue.
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Paolo Moretti
I had the exact same problem last month! After three rejections, I found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which saved me from losing my mind with this electronic signature issue. The site has a document analyzer that can actually look at your previous returns and tell you exactly what 5-digit number you need to use. I uploaded my 2022 return and it immediately identified both my AGI and my self-selected PIN from previous filings. Turns out I was using the wrong year's information! The system explained that the IRS was looking for my 2022 AGI, not my 2021 AGI which is what I had been entering.
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Amina Diop
•How exactly does that work? Does it just scan your tax documents and pull out the numbers? I'm not really comfortable uploading my entire tax return to some random website.
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Oliver Weber
•Sounds interesting but does it work with returns that were done by a tax preparer? My situation is similar to OP where I used H&R Block in person last year and doing it myself this year online.
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Paolo Moretti
•It's actually pretty straightforward. It uses the same type of technology that tax software uses to read your W-2 when you take a picture of it. The system just finds the relevant line items from your tax forms and extracts just the info you need. It's all encrypted and they don't store your documents after analysis. Yes, it definitely works with returns prepared by professionals! The system doesn't care who prepared the return - it just reads the official tax forms. I had used a local accountant for years before switching to doing it myself, and it worked perfectly with those professionally prepared returns.
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Oliver Weber
Just wanted to update everyone. I tried taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here and it was incredibly helpful! I uploaded my previous return from H&R Block and it immediately showed me that I had been using the wrong number entirely. Turns out what I needed wasn't just my AGI - I had actually created a self-selected PIN back in 2021 that I completely forgot about. The system found both numbers for me and explained which one I needed to use. My return was accepted by the IRS about 2 hours after I resubmitted with the correct signature. Definitely saved me from having to pay someone to figure this out!
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Natasha Romanova
If you're still struggling with this electronic signature issue after trying the AGI method, you might want to check out Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was in the same boat last year - kept getting rejected and couldn't figure out what number to use. After spinning my wheels for a week, I used Claimyr to actually get through to an IRS agent (which normally takes hours of holding). They connected me to someone at the IRS in about 15 minutes and the agent was able to verify my identity and tell me exactly what was going wrong with my electronic filing. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Instead of going back to Jackson Hewitt and paying them again, I got my question answered directly from the source and was able to finish filing on my own.
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NebulaNinja
•How does this even work? The IRS phone lines are always jammed. I've literally tried calling them dozens of times about my refund and never got through to a human.
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Javier Gomez
•I'm skeptical. There's no way to "skip the line" with the IRS. They're a government agency. Sounds like some kind of scam to get desperate people to pay for something that doesn't work.
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Natasha Romanova
•It's actually pretty interesting how it works. The system basically automates the calling process and navigates all the IRS phone menus for you. When it finally gets through to an agent, it calls you and connects you directly. It's not really "skipping the line" - it's more like having a robot wait in line for you. The service was created during the pandemic when IRS wait times were 3+ hours. It essentially keeps trying the IRS on your behalf until it gets through, instead of you having to sit on hold forever.
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Javier Gomez
I need to eat my words from my earlier comment. After my 5th rejection trying to e-file, I finally broke down and tried Claimyr out of desperation. Within 20 minutes I was talking to an actual IRS representative who explained that my rejection was happening because I had filed using a different name last year (I got married). The agent walked me through exactly what to do - I needed to use my AGI from last year AND enter my previous last name in a specific field I had completely overlooked. Something no online guide mentioned. Filed again that same night and it went through instantly. I'm honestly shocked this worked. Saved me from having to file by paper which would have delayed my refund by months.
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Emma Wilson
Just an additional tip that might help - if you still have access to your Jackson Hewitt account, you might be able to log in and view your previous returns. Most tax preparers keep digital copies of returns they've filed for clients. If you can see last year's return, you can find your AGI on Line 11 of your 1040 form. That number should work as your electronic signature if you didn't set up a specific PIN.
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Malik Thomas
•Do you know if the AGI has to be exactly right? Like if my AGI was $48,296.75, would I enter 48296 or 48297? Or would I use cents too somehow?
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Emma Wilson
•You only need to enter the whole dollar amount without cents. So if your AGI was $48,296.75, you would just enter 48296. This is one of the most common mistakes people make. The system only asks for 5 digits though, which means if your AGI has more than 5 digits (like in your example), you'll need to enter all of them - not just 5 digits. The "5-digit" terminology is confusing because it's really asking for your Self-Select PIN if you created one, or your AGI if you didn't.
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Isabella Oliveira
I ran into the exact same problem. For me, it turned out I needed to enter "0" as my electronic signature. If your AGI last year was zero or negative, that's what you need to enter!
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Ravi Kapoor
•This worked for me too! I had a really low income year in 2022 and my AGI was actually negative. I kept trying different numbers until I finally just entered "0" and my return was accepted.
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